Training for dental screening using clinical photographs.
OBJECTIVE
To determine how the referral pattern from school screening of a group of dentists changed following a training programme.


METHODS
Eighty clinical photographs of teeth were shown to a group of dentists both before and after a training programme. The photographs were of teeth in various stages of the carious process from children aged between three and 15 years. The dentists were shown each of the 80 photographs and were asked to categorise each slide according to the decision they were most likely to make during school screening.


METHODS
An NHS Community Trust in Merseyside, UK.


METHODS
A group of 12 community dental officers.


METHODS
Evaluation was carried out in relation to consensus refer/not refer decisions. Consensus was defined as the majority decision provided that no more than two dentists disagreed with the majority.


RESULTS
As a consequence of training there was a change from no consensus to consensus in 21.5 per cent of the slides, whereas only 2.5 per cent changed from consensus to no consensus. However, after training there was still no consensus on 30 per cent of the slides.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates a means by which referral decisions from school screening can be audited.
Mills
D C
DC
St Helens and Knowsley Community (NHS) Trust, Merseyside, UK.
Hollis
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003149:Community Dentistry / Q000193:education*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003657:Decision Making; D019230:Dental Audit; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004739:England; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010781:Photography; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012571:School Dentistry; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D014070:Tooth / Q000473:pathology; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000473:pathology